Cheap Make Your House Do the Housework (Book) (Don Aslett, Laura Aslett Simons) Price

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Customer Reviews of Make Your House Do the Housework

One of my favorite books
I wish the concept of low maintainance living was a genre onto itself. But so far this and "Ergonomic Living" seem to be the only books that embrace this practical concept. I think most people wouldn't use all the ideas Anslett suggests (like suspended furniture, toilets, etc), but this book makes you keep maintainance in mind before you make any design purchase. Now when I see people who choose to have white floors or furniture or tons of "accessories", I am not impressed with the beauty, I'm thinking of what a hassle it must be to keep it that pristine. I think the part of the book that most sticks out in my mind is a cartoon he puts in the introduction. It shows two neighbors, one with a fancy Victorian house and landscaping. The other with a spare and simple house. The owners of the fancy house are spending their day painting, pruning, fixing and cleaning. Whereas the owners of the simple house are spending family time together playing. That is the reason I bought this book. I enjoy a clean house, but I don't want to sacrifice time with my family to keep it looking impressive for others. I highly recommend this book, but wish it was updated for all the newest innovations that have recently come out.

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Good advice with a practical basis.
Obviously no book about decorating/renovating is a bible. Everything is not going to be to your taste; everything will not be practical for you. But this book has a lot of sound advice on what materials and items last longest and are the least work to maintain. Our house is only in the planning stages, but this book has already taught us a lot. My parents followed its advice with the remodel of their bathroom and are so pleased at the low-maintenance results that they've requested a copy of their own for Christmas as a guide for doing the rest of the house.

The other book I'd recommend for people in the planning stages of a build or remodel is Ergonomic Living: How to Create a User-friendly Home and Office by Gordon Inkeles (ISBN 002093081X). Aslett shows you how to make things easy-care; Inkeles shows you how to make them comfortable and useful.

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Yuck!!
I am all in favor of a simple, clutter free and low maintenance house, but really! This book should have a subtitle, "How to build a sterile, ugly house" or perhaps, "How to make your house even less appealing than a hospital waiting room." This book with tell you how to avoid any and all dust traps, like comfy furniture, artwork, or architectural features. It's great if you want your living room to look like the set of Star Trek, but not so great if you want you home to be . . . well . . .a HOME!